Varietal difference in structural and physical characteristics of rice starch and interrelationships between these starch properties and the physicochemical components of rice grains were investigated for twenty four rice varieties, which were considerably different in amylose content, gelatinization temperature and gel consistency, to obtain the basic informations for diversifying the utility of rice grains and for developing various rice cultivars adaptable to rice food processing. Wave length of maximum absorbance for blue color reaction of starch-I$_2$ complex was 520nm for glutinous rice and 560～600nm for nonglutinous rice. The higher amylose rice showed the longer wave length but there was considerable difference of the wave length among rice materials with similar amylose content. Varietal difference in frequency distribution of debranched starch molecules by isoamylase hydrolysis was largest in amylose fraction, the longest fraction(Fr. I), and was next bigger in intermediate fraction(Int.Fr.) and the ratio between short and long glucose chain of amylopectin fraction(Fr. III /Fr. II). The Fr. III / Fr II ratio was higher in glutinous rice than in nonglutinous one but it was considerably different among nonglutinous rice varieties without any connection with amylose content. The lower alkali digestible rice showed the longer half-hydrolysis time in acid solution. Both soft and hard gel rice varieties in gel consistency test revealed significant varietal difference of 50% acid hydrolysis time. The harder rice in gel consistency exhibited the less frequency of short branch fraction of amylopectin (Fr. III) and the higher amylose content. Twenty four rice varieties were cleary classified by upper two principal components contracted from structural or physical traits of rice starch and some physicochemical properties of rice grain by principal component analysis. The 1st and 2nd principal components can be characterized to components related with amylose and amylopectin structure respectively.